News columnist John A. Torres has spent the last six months investigating the disappearance of Malabar firefighter Brandy Hall. The result is the third season of the award-winning podcast 'Murder on the Space Coast' titled: "Where is Brandy Hall?"

You can listen to the free podcast on most major podcast platforms including iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play Music and Soundcloud.

The transcripts for each episode will be presented here. Below is Episode Ten: Motive.

We had some bad breaks in that. The officer that saw the fire supervisor's vehicle at the Hess Station, she did what she was supposed to do. She went in and she turned in a tip sheet.

Jeff Hall

It’s just like, come on, something’s not right. That’s a big lead. I mean you see a car and a woman’s missing and an hour or half an hour before they go off the grid or half hour right here by the area?

I’m news columnist John A. Torres and welcome back to “Murder on the Space Coast: Where is Brandy Hall?” The years went by and no one came any closer to solving the mystery of what happened to a 32-year-old firefighter and mother of two who went missing August 17, 2006.

We know that police ruled out drug violence pretty early on. They also cleared Brandy’s husband Jeff Hall. When things hit a wall they then brought in the FBI to explore the possibility that Brandy – as her lover Randall Richmond said – simply left. Here’s Ernie Diebel, who was the lead detective until he retired, talking about some of the FBI’s findings.

Retired Detective Ernie Diebel

For some reason, Brandy disappears the night before she knows her husband is going to jail. And everybody says she wouldn’t leave. The FBI did a profile on the case. It says due to loss of her job, Brandy had limited financial means. She couldn't have left, plus we had her truck. The truck was like a kid to her. I mean she valued that truck highly, a nice 4x4 pickup. She wouldn't just damage that truck.

Again, this the FBI’S: there is a significant amount of blood, Brandy's blood in the truck, even after it was completely submerged in the lake suggests that she was severely injured and unlikely able to walk away on her own accord.

CLOSE

This week on Inside the Murder on the Space Coast podcast, John and Jessica talk the abundance of rumors about Brandy Hall.

John A. Torres

So the idea that Brandy just disappeared, that she walked out on her life and her two young children was discounted. Not only did her friends and family say she would never have done that, as we’ve heard in earlier episodes, but the FBI suggested she wouldn’t have had the money to do that. And there’s the matter of her blood.

So while Brandy’s disappearance has remained an active investigation in Palm Bay, we learned that two retired detectives – Sid Ladow and Doc Jones – were called in to see what, if anything, they could dig up. And it was through the work of Sid and Doc that we learned the alibi offered up by Brandy’s lover, fire captain Randall Richmond, may not have been as air-tight as previously thought.

Remember, Randall was the last person to speak with Brandy on the telephone before she vanished. He said he was on-duty at the fire station and never left that night. After all, his crew would have heard the bay doors open if he were to have driven the fire captain’s vehicle out .

But LaDow learned that a second captain’s vehicle was sitting outside the station and could have been accessed at any point – and quietly. And that is an extremely important detail.

Because, remember, Palm Bay police officer, Jasmine Campbell, filed a tip – a tip that was misplaced for years - that she saw a fire captain’s vehicle parked at a Hess gas station, moments before she saw Brandy’s truck nearby with two people sitting in it before midnight on the very night Brandy went missing. And she was sure it was Brandy’s truck, the same one pulled from a pond the following day. Here’s how Sid found out about the second fire captain vehicle.

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

Sid LaDow: In a conversation with one of the retired firefighters…

John A. Torres: Jim Bliss right?

Sid LaDow: Yes, I said how in the hell did he get that car down there, because the police officer who saw that thing down at Hess is beyond reproach? Why would she say that?

And Bliss says because he had another vehicle. He said, I just remembered. He went outside to call. He was already outside. When her call came in, he hopped in that truck he went down to the Hess station. He locked it up, got out and got into her truck, they went down by Home Depot and talked. That’s where the cop saw them. But she got out and checked on the ... and thought maybe something was wrong, the fire vehicle was locked. And she scared them off.

John A. Torres

Now, it should be noted that the two fire captain vehicles that Richmond allegedly had access to were very similar except for the numbers painted on them and the fact that one had a diesel engine while the other ran on gasoline – meaning one was louder than the other.

Sid speculates that the two lovers then drove to the secluded pond near the intersection of Treeland and San Filippo in Palm Bay where Brandy – whether accidental or intentional – met her end.

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

I know from taking with people that Brandy and the unnamed person there were arguing constantly for almost a week, that she was trying to convince him to leave his wife. And he kept saying “no, I'll not leave her.” He had a tremendous investment in that house, he and his wife were making excellent money, you got three nice kids, you got a beautiful home. He could not see starting all over again. And he just kept saying no.

It could be that Brandy got...lost her temper. Maybe she hit him a couple of times, could have pulled a gun on him, I don't know what happened. I just don't know what happened in that truck. If he pushed her or grabbed for the gun and hit her, with her head being like it was and the side of her face, it was probably pretty fragile. She could have hit something and broke something loose in her head, because we know the blood came out of her head, logically her nose or her mouth because that's where the blood was on the floorboard.

You know, I have really looked at this thing for hours at a time. Was it an accident? Was it self defense? Quite frankly, I don't know.

John A. Torres

The fact that the authorities have not been able to piece together enough of a case based on that information and the fact that Randall lied to police initially is something that Brandy’s husband, Jeff Hall, just can’t get over. He feels the police should be focused more on why the fire captain’s vehicle was out that night when his wife went missing.

Jeff Hall

But it just never seemed to go that route. That’s when I really, honestly, 100 percent gave up hope. At that point in time when I heard the stories going on about that and then I came to the police department, I truly at that moment gave up hope. They don’t give a shit. This is dead to them and this is where it’s going to lay unless these guys who are doing this on their own dig up something and prove to the state attorneys, we’ll never know.

John A. Torres

I have been in contact with Jim Bliss and he seemed interested in being interviewed but it hasn’t worked out. I’m still trying so maybe we’ll hear from him on the next episode.

I asked Sid if there was ever any thought to arresting Randall on some sort of obstruction of justice charge that you see on TV all the time and his answer kind of surprised me.

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

That was talked about. During one of the interrogations they were gonna put him in the slammer because that first night he hadn’t seen her and he hadn’t done all this or that and then comes in and halfway squares it away. But I understand one of the city fathers from City Hall over there put the kibosh on the arrest. And they were told “No, don’t arrest him.” I don’t know why, maybe it was “hey, let’s build a good case and really get him.” But I don’t know. I wasn’t there then, so.

John A. Torres

I sincerely hope that was the reason not to make an arrest at the time because even if Randall had nothing to do with this, his lie to the police cost them 48 hours. As the years have passed, Randall and his now-ex-wife Anne Marie, have refused to speak with police since that new information about a fire vehicle being seen was discovered. Again, here is now retired Palm Bay detective Ernie Diebel.

Retired Detective Ernie Diebel

As always, we've said that since I've taken over the case, Randall Richmond and his wife, ex-wife now, Anne, I would like to speak with. Since he was last spoke to there have been a number of things come up, new things that we would like to speak with him to see what he has to say about it. More questions. Also I'd like to see if we can have his DNA and fingerprints too and compare them to some things they have.

John A. Torres

We haven’t spoken a lot about Anne Marie Richmond so far except that we know she and Brandy had a pretty significant argument regarding Brandy’s relationship with Randall during the Grant Seafood Festival. It was an event which got a lot of people talking and which Randall tried downplaying – saying the rumors were exaggerated - when asked about it by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents.

2007 Florida Department of Law Enforcement interview

Wayne Ivey: When Anne and Brandy got into it at the seafood festival…

Randall Richmond: Well, I was telling him, that wasn’t anything like what somebody on the Internet said it was. There were things on the internet that we were reading but that wasn’t it, it was not that big, this huge, blown-up drama. But anyway, go ahead with what you were going to say.

Wayne Ivey: Regardless of how big it was or not, there was a confrontation.

Randall Richmond: Yeah.

Wayne Ivey: And that confrontation according to some testimony is that Brandy told her, 'Why are you wearing your wedding band? I can have your man at any time' and whether that’s true or not these are some of the things that were coming back and some of the things that were obviously fueling this conflict.

John A. Torres

And according to the police as well as numerous people interviewed by Sid LaDow, that wasn’t the only evidence of bad blood between the two women. Apparently, they exchanged angry texts quite often. According to Jeff Hall, the couples stopped hanging out together and watching each other’s kids.

Jeff Hall

Yeah, it just got really ugly and we watch the kids, their kids would always hang out with us and stuff and I think it all started when she refused to let the kids get near Brandy. I think that’s what really started it off.

John A. Torres

According to Sid’s investigations, Anne Marie, who worked a nurse at a nearby hospital, worked that night – August 17, 2006, until 11 o’clock.

Could she have driven by and spotted her husband’s truck or Brandy’s truck and followed? Could she know what happened to Brandy?

In 2009, the Palm Bay Police contacted Richard Walter, a noted forensic psychologist, who was one of the founders of the world’s premiere group of cold case investigators – the Vidocq Society.

Walter was lecturing somewhere when Palm Bay detective Ernie Diebel met him and brought up Brandy’s case. He asked Walter to take a look.

Walter reviewed more than 20 hours of police interviews before offering an opinion to Palm Bay Police.

Here is part of the e-mailed response from forensic psychologist Richard Walter to the Palm Bay Police from November 30, 2009:

“In brief, while the investigative effort has eliminated almost every tangential lead, it remains that the primary person of interest has received only nominal attention. That is, as suggested in at least four interviews, Anne Richmond is the primary suspect that cannot be excluded by motive, method, and opportunity. Furthermore, the situational deceptions presented to the investigators, be it commission and/or omission indicate that Randall Richmond has knowledge and some complicity with the same.”

Here is super sleuth Sid LaDow.

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

John A. Torres: and so, what do you think happened at the pond?

Sid LaDow: It could not have been planned simply because the police officer circled around there and saw them. I have read case probably 10 times and I've talked with people, FBI and Mr. Walter and they all want to know what the motive is. What is the motive? Why did she die? And I cannot come up with one. There is no reason for her to have died.

They are the premiere crime-solvers in the world to me and he identified my guy and his wife as being suspects. There are four to five people who are very familiar with this case.

John A. Torres

Sid, however after a few interviews with her, has ruled out Anne Marie though I’m not sure I agree totally with his logic. I asked him about it while his dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, were yapping away In the yard.

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

John A. Torres: Why have you ruled her out?

Sid LaDow: Because she went straight home that night.

John A. Torres: How do we know that?

Sid LaDow: I’ve talked to several people. Another thing is she religiously went home because she had three kids in that house and I think they were all in high school at the time and kids will be kids, three boys. She went home and made sure they were in the bed.

John A. Torres

OK, so then I asked Sid if it was possible that Anne Marie – who worked at nearby Palm Bay Hospital – drove by and saw her husband?

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

Possible, yeah. But not probable…not probable. Because she left there after 11 o’clock, you know. Granted, it was around the same time, but no. I think she would have, ha, she would have rammed him right there.

John A. Torres

Despite Sid’s assurances, police have told me they still want to talk with both Anne Marie and Randall. Several of the police officers interviewed by Sid relay the story of how Anne Marie acted when she arrived at the police station the Sunday when Randall was telling police that Brandy had run away. They say she reacted angrily and even struck Randall causing his glasses to cut into his nose. The witnesses say her reaction was to the admission that Randall and Brandy were having an affair.

That is odd because Jeff Hall said, if you believe him that is, that Anne Marie had assumed there was an affair going on between Brandy and her husband, even as Jeff doubted it.

In his interview with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Randall states that his wife’s irritation toward Brandy had something to do with how much Randall seemed to do for her. That’s Tom Davis asking questions.

2007 Florida Department of Law Enforcement interview

Tom Davis: yeah. I mean, leading up to her disappearance…you’re pretty significant to her.

Randall Richmond: I was Mr. Fixit for them.

Tom Davis: she didn’t just use you did she?

Randall Richmond: well, my wife had different things to say about that. She thought that I was used to a very big extent.

Tom Davis: Really?

Randall Richmond: Yeah.

Tom Davis: Why? Because of the stuff you had to do or…

Randall Richmond: Oh just all the stuff I did for them, all the stuff I helped them with, um, you know, right down to signing my name to a piece of equipment that was leased and I never did have to make a payment on it but you know that was all…

John A. Torres

Anyway, the years pass and a notation from Sid in his notes from April 2014 is telling. He writes: “In reviewing the case it is almost unbelievable that the perpetrator could have been so lucky in an unplanned event.”

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

This one? There is nothing. You can’t find anything. The assigned detectives at the police department have beat this thing to death and I have too. You sit around and second-guess yourself what-if, you know play the if game. You know I keep putting signs up and I ask myself why? It’s to keep the public informed that hey, she’s still missing.

Maybe one of these days, that person who is very important to the case will say something to somebody, but, I don’t think anyone other than guy who did it, knows what’s going on.

John A. Torres

Sid also has a quote in his notes from an 1800s crimefighter, Tomas Byrnes: “It is not remorse that makes the hardened criminal confess: it is anxiety, mental strain.”

So, Sid and the police began to apply the heat a bit more on the Richmonds. They search the adjoining property with ATVs and motorized gliders. They also do several searches with cadaver dogs and Sid? Well, Sid keeps hanging signs all over town including hanging them as close to the Palm Bay Fire Department Beer tent at the Grant Seafood Festival as he can so Randall and those who worked with both Randall and Brandy will see them. It’s interesting that Sid will not use Randall’s or Anne Marie’s names when he’s being recorded.

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

John A. Torres: And this man that you've been talking about, he's your main suspect I guess.

Sid LaDow: (laughing) I'll just leave it as unidentified person.

John A. Torres: Yeah, but has he ever spoken to you?

Sid LaDow: oh yeah. I talked to him quite a few times. There are things we’ve done to keep the stress up as far as we can. And I look back now and say well, they’re divorced, they’re each dating other people, it cost that guy a lot of money.

John A. Torres: So you hung signs, what else did you do? You also called him a few times, approached him, right?

Sid LaDow: Oh yeah, approached him, spoke to him a few times. I spoke to him at the seafood festival and said “hey, square up here man. I’m not mad at you. Give me the body and I’m gonna quit.” Like I said, I was a cop a long time ago, but I’m not certified now. So if he says well, OK let me take you, I’d be like nah, nah, no you take somebody else. I’m just a 78-year-old guy. And that’s it.

John A. Torres

It’s rare to drive through Palm Bay or Malabar and not see one of the Brandy Hall is Missing signs. On the other hand, Randall has never changed his story. As a last resort during the Florida Department of Law Enforcement interview with Randall, agents Wayne Ivey and Tom Davis tried appealing to his conscience as they wrapped up their questioning in 2007.

2007 Florida Department of Law Enforcement interview

Wayne Ivey: Other than the governor ordering me to do this investigation that’s probably the biggest driving force behind me. Right now that there are two little kids that are going to wake up two days from now on Christmas and still not know where their mom is. And for no other matter, I mean, she’s dead, we all know that, for no other matter there needs to bring some closure to this.

Randall Richmond: You think she’s…I still…

Tom Davis: She’s dead. She’s dead and disposed of somewhere, we don’t know. She didn’t have a decent Christian burial or whatever, what the hell? The least we can do is a decent burial.

John A. Torres

In January of 2018, Randall – through his attorney Alan Landman – answered a few of my questions via e-mail. Here are a few of the things he had to say about Brandy: I don’t know if we will ever see her again, I would like to believe we would. He also said: I had nothing to do with your mothers and daughters disappearance. I am terribly sorry for your loss and pray you find peace. He also says that he probably should have never gotten as emotionally involved with Brandy as he did.

Next time on the eleventh and final episode of Murder on the Space Coast season 3: Where is Brandy Hall? Sid LaDow’s declining health makes his personal investigation a race against time.

Retired Detective Sid LaDow

I’m gonna live long enough even though I’ve got some serious problems I’m gonna live long enough to get her back.

Oh my God, they’re my heroes. They really, I mean, these guys are outstanding when they first met me I was like what the hell now they got these guys, someone else trying to come in, they interrogated me and I greeted them with open arms, answered every question.

Debbie Rogge

I just can’t wait for the day that I can give her a hug and (crying) I just can’t wait for that day. I know it’s coming soon. I just believe it in my heart. I just miss her…I miss you Brandy so much. It’s like somebody please bring my daughter home. It’s like Brandy where are you? Please somebody bring her home. Whoever you are please talk. Thank you and God bless you.

John A. Torres

For now, I’m News Columnist John A. Torres and you can follow me on twitter @Johnalbertorres that’s @ j-o-h-n-a-l-b-e-r-t-o-r-r-e-s and for more information on these cases and web exclusives please go to Floridatoday.com Murder on the Space Coast is written and narrated by John A. Torres. The producer is Rob Landers and the editor is Mara Bellaby. Thanks for listening to murder on the space coast brought to you by Florida today a part of the USA today network.